is regular
business. Tom sat beside Eradicate on the front seat, and steered,
while the colored man drove the mule, and Mr. Sharp and Mr. Damon were
in the "tonneau" seats as Tom called them.

"I hope no one sees us," thought Tom, but he was doomed to
disappointment. When nearly home he heard an auto approaching, and in
it were Andy Foger, Sam Snedecker and Pete Bailey. The three cronies
stared at the odd sight of Boomerang ambling along, with his great ears
flapping, drawing Tom's speedy new car.

"Ha! Ha!" laughed Andy. "So that's the motive power he's going to use!
Look at him, fellows. I thought his new electric, that was going to
beat my car, and win the prize, was to be two hundred horse power.
Instead it's one mule power! That's rich!" and Andy's chums joined in
the laugh at poor Tom.

The young inventor said nothing, for there was nothing he could say. In
dignified silence he passed the car containing his enemies, they,
meanwhile, jeering at him.

"Dat's all right," spoke Eradicate, sympathizing with his young
employer. "Maybe dey'll 'want a tow derselves some day, an' when dey
does, I'll make Boomerang pull 'em in a ditch."

But this was small comfort to Tom. He made up his mind, though, that he
would demonstrate that his car could do all that he had claimed for it,
and that very soon.

CHAPTER XIV

A GREAT RUN

Boomerang did not belie the reputation Eradicate had given him as a
beast of strength. Though the electric runabout was heavy, the mule
managed to move it along the road at a fair speed, with the four
occupants. Perhaps the animal knew that at the end of his journey a
good feed awaited him. At any rate they were soon within sight of the
Swift home.

Mr. Damon and Mr. Sharp refrained from making any comments that might
hurt Tom's feelings, for they realized the chagrin felt by the young
inventor in having his apparatus go back on him at the first trial. But
our hero was not the kind of a lad who is disheartened by one failure,
or even half a dozen.

The humor of the situation appealed to him, and, as he turned the auto
into the driveway, and noticed Boomerang's long ears waving to and fro,
he laughed.

The lad insisted on putting new fuses in the car before he ate his
dinner, and then, satisfied that the motor was once more in running
order, he partook of a hasty meal, and began making several changes
which he had decided were desirable. He finished them in time to go for
a littl